The invention described herein relates to a moisture trap for the separation of liquid from air, intended for fluid suction equipment such as is used in dentistry, in particular.
Such a device is of the type that employs a negative pressure intake, essentially a venturi duct, which draws in fluid consisting of air and liquid and delivers it into a vertical separation chamber. The chamber has an outlet at bottom through which a preponderance of liquid matter is discharged, and an outlet at the top through which a preponderance of air is exhausted.
It is difficult to obtain a thorough separation in moisture traps of the type, inasmuch as part of the liquid will be entrained by the airstream in the separation chamber, and discharged through the air outlet in the form of droplets.
Attempts have been made to overcome such a drawback by providing filters downstream of the air outlet located at the top of the separation chamber. There are drawbacks with such an expedient, however, since the need arises for regular, systematic servicing of the filters in order to avoid the ever-present hazard of blockage. What is more, installation of a filter at the air outlet of a separation chamber can reduce the effectiveness of suction equipment considerably, as a result of unwarranted backpressure being set up downstream of the intake device, i.e. the venturi.
Another drawback that can be encountered with suction equipment is that of gurgling through the drain into which the liquids are discharged.
The overriding object of the invention is that of obviating the drawbacks mentioned above.